Marsh turtles choose reservoirs with still water where they have a large supply of food and also all conditions for hibernation. Winter cold weather could ruin the turtle not capable to maintain the body temperature, but natural mechanisms of self-preservation allow turtles to carry out everything cold months under water.
Marsh turtle in her native habitat
The area of dwelling of marsh turtles - is extraordinary wide. Any pond or the river with still water is the wonderful house for these Amphibia. Life of marsh turtles - is simple and measured as in any pond with still water it is full of whitebaits, insects, tadpoles, worms and also seaweed with which the turtle is fed throughout all summer season. The summer is very important period for a turtle as at this time amphibious it is necessary to postpone several layings of eggs and to save up a significant amount of fat stocks which will be enough for maintenance of activity of an animal until it is in hibernation.
The first wintering of a marsh turtle Surprisingly, but little turtles fall into the first hibernation right after the birth, without having got out their nests. The thing is that the habitat of marsh turtles often does not please in the long summer therefore warm days are enough only for that the little turtles buried deeply in sand could be created in the skorlupka. Eggs of reptiles completely depend on the sun therefore warm days are enough only for that turtles hatched as the incubation period is from 54 to 90 days, depending on ambient temperature. Turtles hatch in the middle of the fall when already begins to become cold also food for them insufficiently therefore they do not leave the underground nest, falling into hibernation where appeared from a shell. Turtles have no saved-up fat, but on paunches they have big bags with a yolk which helps them to endure winter cold weather, being in hibernation. Newborn turtles literally freeze through in the nests, but with arrival of spring they expect again and for the first time come to sunlight.
The device on a wintering of an adult turtleDecrease in ambient temperature in September - October is the main signal for turtles that it is time to prepare for hibernation. By this time turtles are already completely ready to such change and stocked up with necessary amount of fat. On a wintering the majority of marsh turtles fall by a bottom of a reservoir and are dug in deeply in silt. Silt temperature where turtles hide, does not fall below 3-5 °C therefore adult turtles do not freeze through completely. In dense silt the turtle falls into hibernation, ceases to breathe, slows down heartbeat and metabolism. In such state the turtle spends the whole winter, waking up only when water temperature rises up to +5-7 °C. In rare instances marsh turtles are concealed on a wintering in the dug holes on abrupt coast near a pond, but such cases are extremely rare and are observed generally in reservoirs where the layer of silt is insufficient for a wintering of turtles.